Improvement in water-wheels



To all whom 'it may concern:

l 2@ 0., .l dal tant @anni @firm THE opone W. MAHLER;y or ROME, NEW YORK'.l

Letters Patent No. 84,292, [lated November 24, 1868; antcdaftedNoce'mber 9, 186.8.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the saine.

Be it known that I, THnoDonn -W. MAHLER, of Rome, Oneida county,.N ew York, have invented a new and improved Water-Wheel.

' My improved wheel is a horizontal central-discharge wheel. The water passes on to the wheel by a double scroll, and there is a separate gate at the front of each guide, which gates move radially', or in the direction of the radii of the wheel, in opening and closing, and are moved simultaneously, by raising and lowering a lever.

The brace is divided, or'in two parts, to admit of the Wheel being put together or taken apart readily. The lower hub of the wheel is raised above the lower rim, by means of a curved arni, to allow the end of the shaft to be enlarged, when additional strength or bearing is yrequired, without raising the wheel, and thus losing head, and the gates have each a spring-extension.

And I do 'hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the said invention, and of the mode of operation of the saine, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in. which- Figure l is a plan of the water-wheel;

Figure 2 is a sectional view thereof Figure 3 represents the divided brace;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the guide and gate; and

Figure 5, one of the gates.

A is the case.

Al Al are the scrolls.

A2, the point where they meet.

B, the wheel.

B1, the lower rim.'

B2, the curved arm.

C, the shaft.

G1, enlarged end of shaft.

C2, the step.

D, the brace.

l)l and D2, the separate parts thereof.

D3, screws for holding" it together.

D4, bearings for shaft.

D5, set-screvrs.

E, the guides.

El, short curved end.

2, a slot therein.

F, the gates.

F1, a hole therein.

F2, the extension part.

F3,'-the spring.

.F*, pins and slots.

Gr, rods or shafts.

G, arm or lever thereon.

G2, upper arm or lever.

G3, cap.

H, a ring or thimble.

I, arms.

K, lever.

K', a joint.y

. where long vertical shafting is necessary.

The case A is in the form lof a double scroll, having one scroll, A, on each side of the wheel,vwith.the narrow ends of the scrolls A2 united at the back of the wheel, as seen in iig. 1, by means of which arrangenient all the buckets are kept filled, and there is less waste of power, by reason of the friction of the water', than where there is but one scroll winding around the entire wheel, as in ordinaryoases.

The double scroll, as described, has advantages over the ordinary penstock, as it may be attached to the end or side of the fiume, and may be readily 4removed for re pairs, er the water shut oli` from the wheel, as Well as the buckets. If set in the penstock, the whole would have to be taken apart for repairs, andthe water could .not be shut off from the wheel. Nor would it perform equally well lifi the wheel were seated centrally in the scrolls, as the buckets on the back side would not beequally lled. v

The wheel B has the lower rim, B1, connected to the shaft at a point higher than said rim, Aby means of a curved arm, B2. The purpose of this is to allow the end of the shaft C to be enlarged at C, where it is required to support heavy weight, as is often the case But for this curved arm, which allows a suflicient space between the step G* and the hub of the wheel to enlarge the shaft, the whole wheel would have to be raised above the step, and thus cause a loss of head.

rIhe brace D is divided through the bearing part into two parts, Dl and D, which are held together by the screws D3 D3, by means of which arrangement the wheel can more readily be taken' apart and put together.

D11 are bearings in the brace, and D5 are screws for regulating the same. A The guides may be two or more, each of which has a short outward curve, E, at its outer end, so turned that when the guide is inplace, the front face cf such cnrveis in the direction of the radius ofthe wheel. In the edge of E is a slot or notch, E2. In front'of El is placed the gate F, the inner end .of which rests against the rear end of the preceding guide. It stands in the direction ofthe radius of the wheel, and thus closes the passage to the wheel. The inner end of F is slotted, and has fitted therein a separate part, F2, and which is pressed outward by the spring F3, but is prevented from getting out of place by the pins and slots F4.

By thisarrangemeut of the parts, an obstruction of one gate will not prevent the closing of all the others. Behind each gate is a rod or shaft,'Gr, which has a bearing in the lower side ofthe case, and passes through the upper' one. This rod has an a1in,G., thereon, which extends through the. slot E2, and the hole FI in the gate, Y

and serves as a lever to open and close the gate. On the upper end of G, above the case, is another arm, G2. The outer end of G, which is in the opposite direction to G1, has aglcbular socket in connectionl with the plate G3, which plate is held in place by a screw.

Surrounding the lower' part of the brace D, is a ring or thimble, H, arranged to slide up and down on such brace. Connected with this ring or thimble by joints, are arms I, equal in number with the gates, the outer ends of which are formed with a ball, which iits into the socket in G2, andthe Whole, with the cap G3, forming a ball-and-socliet joint. Over the ring' or thimble H, and attached thereto by a joint, K', is a lever, K, by means of 4which said ring` or thimble H is raised and lowered which causes the gates to open and close.

The operation is as follows: Fig. l represents the gates as closed.

By raising the lever K, the-ring H is raised.

This draws with it all the rods I, which in turn causes the end G2 of the arms or levers G to trun inwards, and of course the arm or lever G* to turn outwards, which acting on the gate F, through the hole F1, causes each gate. to slide out radially, and the Water will rush in at the saine moment, and fill all the buckets with equal volume. Bv depressing the lever K, the quantity of water may be diminished, and by letting it fully down, it will shut l ofi' the water entirely.

1f by chance an obstruction should get in any one of the gates, by means of the spring-extension, all the gates but the one obstructed may be closed, without which this could only be done in this case, or in any case where all the gates are opened and closed by one movement, by removing the obstruction.

Having thus described my invention, A Y lhat I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. The double scroll, constructed and arranged in relation to the Wheel, substantially as described.

:2. The extension gate F F2, constructed and arranged to operate as described.

T. W. MAHLER. Witnesses:

.Tons- F. SEYMOUR,- JOHN G. Cnoortnn. 

